Mainstream: Annihilation, Part I A New Beginning
by Elektrik Shadow
Summary: This is my 4th and my best story. Dark Hedgehog returns, Eggman actually gets in on the action, and changes will be made to my chararcter roster.
1. Chapter 1

Some things don't die. Some things never did. Some things return from the dead. Everything and everybody come together here.

This isn't the beginning; this isn't the end.

This is the revolution. The climax.

This, is Annihilation.

**Annihilation; Part I**

**A New Beginning**

A New Beginning

"Wow, really!" A small child had his eyes wide open and was anxiously awaiting an answer. Knuckles nodded, and then looked at TR, who nodded as well and smiled. "Cool!" Knuckles and TR stood up, waving goodbye at the small group of children. They left the building and made their way to Island 3.

"Well Knuckles, that was a great time killer, it's nearly night time." Knuckles nodded.

"Yeah…" TR tilted his head as they raced towards the foot of Island 3.

"What's wrong?" Knuckles looked down.

"Nothing." They continued onward in silence. When they reached the island, Tails was _trying_ to teach Katrina how to play Euchre… but as usual, she just wasn't getting it.

"Look, it's very simple, you just strategically play a higher card on the field, but don't play a card that's too high, you may need it later." Katrina nodded. Tails played an 8 of Spades, and placed two more cards, to act as other players.

"Ok… so I'll play… this!" Katrina played a King of Diamonds, and a 2 of Hearts. Tails looked down and shook his head.

"Ok, so why did you play two cards?" Katrina tilted her head.

"Because silly, there's a high card, and a not so high card." Tails raised one eyebrow.

"Umm… ok, that's a start… I guess…" TR and Knuckles came into to view. Katrina jumped up in anticipation.

"Oh there you guys are! You've been gone all day! What have you been doing?" TR looked at Knuckles funny, but answered.

"We were telling the kids on the Mainland about how the Echidna race was murdered." Katrina's eyes got wide.

"What? You mean… those poor Echidna… died?" Tears became noticeable. Now Knuckles looked at TR, as this was the fifth time they told her what happened. Tails stood up and went inside his house, and out he came in his airplane; shouting as he flew away.

"I'll be back later tonight, I'm meeting someone!" Tails could barely be heard. TR and Knuckles looked at each other, confused.

"Who would Tails be meeting? Tiffany is inside, sleeping." Knuckles shrugged, but there was definitely something fishy about it. "Well I'm going to bed, see ya tomorrow." Knuckles waved as TR stepped inside the house next to Tiffany and Tails'. Knuckles began walking in Emerald Island's direction. It was really late when Tails got back. Tails had been leaving and coming home late several times, until Tiffany decided to stay up late. As Tails stepped inside, Tiffany stood up.

"And just where the hell have you been?" Tails jumped back in surprise.

"Ti-Tiffany! When did you get up!" Tiffany repeated her question.

"Where have you been? It's 3:30 A.M.!" Tails searched for an answer.

"I was a… I was busy…" This answer wasn't good enough.

"Miles Prower, where were you?" Tails sighed.

"I was… seeing someone… I don't know who he… or she is. I got a letter one day, said they needed to talk to me. I was supposed to see them tonight… but all I found was another note, so I wrote back." Tiffany shook her head.

"So why are you trying to keep this so secret?" Tails shrugged.

"I didn't want to alarm anyone, especially you. I think this person is looking for someone." Tiffany stared.

"Who do you have in mind?" Tails had a lost look on his face.

"Well… I recently got a letter that talked about… the ultimate life form…" Tiffany interrupted him.

"But Shadow's dead… or gone… or something…hmm…" Now Tiffany had a lost look, for she had confused herself. Tails smiled.

"Try not to think about it too much. It's probably just someone wanting an autograph or something." Tiffany nodded her head, and they went to bed.

Island 0

Knuckles was on his way to Island 5; for a reason unknown, when he noticed something. He walked towards the edge of Island 4. "What the…" A small spec could be seen in the distance. Normally he would ignore this, but something told him to go to it, like it was pulling him. He jumped off of the island and ran towards it. After about an hour, it began to look like a whole other island. Soon, it became clear, it was. Knuckles climbed up to the top, and sensed something… again. "It's… _her_." He was staring into the eyes of what looked like another Echidna. She instantly turned and ran away. "Hey, wait!" He ran after her, dodging all kinds of different wild animals, but failed to rediscover her location. Knuckles decided to turn back towards Island 3.

Tails and Tiffany were outside when Knuckles came. "Hey Knuckles, why you in such a… hurry…" Knuckles was in and out of view as he quickly entered TR and Sonic's house. TR and Knuckles left almost as soon as he came. Tails and Tiffany's face was blank with confusion. "Now where are they off to so quickly?" Tiffany shrugged. TR and Knuckles arrived on the new island. TR was amazed at the discovery.

"Woah, this place is rich with spiritual energy." Knuckles ignored him as he looked long and hard for the girl he saw. "Hey Knux, why did you bring me here?" Knuckles spoke, still looking.

"I saw… _her_." TR shook his head.

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles looked at him in disbelief.

"Tikal!" TR jumped back at this surprise answer.

"Ti-Tikal! You… saw her? Here?" Knuckles nodded. Sometime in the midst of General Shadow's reign, TR and Knuckles sensed an Echidna energy other than their own; they could now finally prove their thoughts. TR began to help search the grounds. She walked into view, staring at them as they looked to the left and right, not noticing her. Knuckles saw her and jumped forward.

"Tikal!" The girl smiled.

"What? How do you know my name?" Knuckles looked in confusion. She obviously suffered from memory loss.

"My name is… Knuckles. You don't remember me, do you?" Tikal shook her head.

"No. Who are you?" She was looking at TR.

"I'm TR, we weren't aware that any Echidna were still alive." Tikal tilted her head.

"Echidna? That name sounds familiar." She turned around and pulled out a weird looking fruit. "Here, have some." TR and Knuckles looked at each other, then took the fruit. TR looked at Tikal.

"What is this?" Tikal laughed.

"Why, this is a henya of course!" TR and Knuckles took a bite of the surprisingly good tasting fruit. "Come, I want to show you something." Tikal was still the easily trusting girl she used to be. "Hurry, it's right over here." Soon TR and Knuckles came upon a temple of the Echidna. They gasped, neither of them were aware of such a temple. They thought all Echidna lived together. It was covered in ancient text that only Tikal could read. Knuckles and TR didn't recognize it at all; clearly this was a forgotten area in the Echidna lore. "It says that a giant jewel suppressed peace for over a thousand centuries in this temple. For about 70 years, I have been searching for that jewel, in hopes of restoring what seems to have been lost since then." TR questioned her actions.

"Ummm, Tikal, the jewel you speak of, is called the Master Emerald; and it's back on Emerald Island, where it should be." Tikal looked confused.

"But these writings say…" Knuckles interrupted her.

"We know what they say, but we also know what we've seen, I think this temple, this island, is a forgotten place in the Echidna. Speaking of which, what do you call this island?" Tikal answered.

"It's called Island 0. And if I'm not sensing the Master Emerald as you call it, then what am I sensing." TR and Knuckles had just noticed this as well. They could feel an emerald's presence. Which confused them, cause as far as they know; they've found every emerald there is. "Excuse me, can you take me to Emerald Island?" TR and Knuckles nodded.

Elsewhere

"So… he said that there are _4_ Elemental Emeralds?" Another voice replied.

"Yeah." The two were training in a small room.

"So what is it called, what's it do?" The voice replied again.

"I don't know." The other person continued the conversation.

"Well we gotta find it eventually, when we gonna go back?" The last reply was heard.

"When the time is right."

Tikal and Chaos

Tikal stared at the magnificently glowing emerald, studying all aspects of it. She let out a small cry as she fell to her knees. Knuckles rushed up to her. "Are you ok?" He helped her up as she replied.

"An, an explosion… a massive destructive force… you, you and TR, and… Elder… Elder Echidna are still alive…" TR now walked up to her.

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles was looking at the Master Emerald.

"The Master Emerald is actin kinda funny." TR looked at it, still talking to Tikal.

"You remember what you did not live to see. How?" Knuckles answered.

"She's not remembering, she sees it in the emerald. Like a scar, left after a burning flame goes out." Tikal placed her hand on her forehead, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"The madness… who could do such a thing?" She answered her own question when she saw the one responsible. "No… how could one… one lone monster do this… to the Echidna race?" TR put his hand on her shoulder.

"I think you've seen enough today, Knuckles, let's get Tikal to Island 3." Knuckles nodded, still staring at the shaking Master Emerald. They brought her to Island 3 immediately. Tails was the first to notice them come up.

"Who is… is that another Echidna!" Knuckles nodded.

"Her name is Tikal, she needs to get some rest." TR took her inside Tails and Tiffany's house. Tiffany followed to assist him. Tails questioned Knuckles more.

"So where did you find her? I thought the Echidna were wiped out." Knuckles shrugged.

"We don't know how she is still alive, but she came from a newly discovered island, called Island 0." Tails still had questions.

"I suppose you don't know how she got there either. I'd like to see the Island 0." Knuckles nodded.

"Sure, but first we have to care for Tikal, she lost her memory, but witnessed several horrible events in the Master Emerald." Tails stepped back.

"Did you say, _in_ the Master Emerald?" Knuckles replied.

"Yeah, you don't understand how in-tune she is with all the emeralds, she has more knowledge of them than any Echidna who ever lived. That is why it is important that she regains her memory. And... the Master Emerald was acting kind of weird when she was there." Tails understood, then went in with Knuckles to check her position. TR came out of the bedroom.

"She's fine, she just needs some rest." Knuckles stepped forward.

"Is she remembering anything? If we can learn what she knows… we may be able to save the Echidna race." TR tilted his head.

"What?" Knuckles explained.

"There is power, a power that can restore the life of the world, with the sacrifice of its user. I know it's a long shot, but I'm willing to be that sacrifice, should the opportunity approach us." TR shook his head.

"Don't talk like that; do you think the Echidna race would want to return for the life of one of Earth's heroes? We are to be glad that they have moved on." Knuckles chuckled.

"TR, you never break the rules; do you?" TR shook his head, looking at Knuckles seriously.

"No, no I don't."


	2. Chapter 2

Kindling the Fire

Tiffany came out of the bedroom. "Knuckles, Tikal is asking for you, she wants to speak with you, privately." Knuckles walked onward. Tikal was sitting up in the bed, waiting for Knuckles to arrive. She didn't look sick at all, but she did look worried.

"Knuckles… I remember you." Knuckles smiled a little.

"Well that's good news; we can build from that…" Tikal interrupted him.

"No, no that is not good news. I cannot remember anyone else. I remember… playing in the park every afternoon after school. I remember watching you fight in some sort of tournament." Knuckles laughed at the memory.

"The Chaos Tournament, that was one of the greatest fights of my life, I remember how proud Elder Echidna was of me; he told me that I was his greatest student." Knuckles' eyes were now looking at Tikal, but he was looking much deeper, back in time. He became lost in the memory of his friends; friends that he had forgotten. Tikal could see what he was thinking, but couldn't think of anything to say. For some reason, she found comfort in Knuckles' presence.

"Knuckles… what do you remember about me?" Knuckles snapped back into reality. He held Tikal's hand.

"I remem…" Katrina and Tiffany suddenly fell through the door. Tiffany stood up, enraged.

"I'm sorry; I know you wanted to talk privately." She now looked at Katrina. "But someone insisted that they barge in here and see what all the fuss was about!" Tiffany stood up and protested.

"I just wanted to know who everyone was talking about." Knuckles and Tikal looked at each other, then at Tiffany and Katrina, who stepped back.

"Oh… sorry, I hope we weren't interrupting anything." Knuckles lowered his head and cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.

"No, you weren't interrupting; I was just getting ready to leave." He turned to Tikal. "Get well soon." Knuckles left with much haste, leaving everyone wondering why he was in such a hurry. Tikal looked down and smiled to herself.

Nightlife-Tails and Tiffany

Tails looked up at Tiffany, staring in her glistening eyes. "I got you something." Tiffany smiled and leaned back on her hands. They were laying side by side at the edge of a cliff, admiring the view. Tails pulled a small box out of a basket. Tiffany's eyes widened at the site of a beautiful necklace. She picked it up and immediately put it around her neck. She then reached over and hugged and kissed Tails, who blushed. But something caught Tails' eye. While looking at the moon, he saw someone, a female; jumping a very large distance. Tiffany noticed him looking outward.

"What are looking at?" Tails shook his head; remembering when he saw something similar to it, while he was collecting a note the few nights before. TR ran up behind them, scaring and making both of them jump.

"Hey, have you seen Knuckles and Tikal? They went to try and help her remember some things, but they've been gone nearly two hours!" Tails and Tiffany shook their heads. "Aw man, that Knux is always blinded by something, I bet he lost track of time. Anyway, I'm going to go looking for them again, they gotta be on this island somewhere." TR left before anyone could say anything.

Nightlife-Knuckles and Tikal

"Ok, so you remember the city, good." Tikal nodded, as she looked at the wild flowers. "Next thing is to get you to remember what you used to know about the Chaos Emeralds." Tikal was not at all that concerned with her lost memory, this showed when she picked up a flower and gave it to Knuckles.

"For you." Knuckles took it, confused. He then shook his head.

"You don't understand the importance of this, do you?" Tikal continued looking at nature, something she was known for doing.

"Nope." She said this flat, as if she had not a care in the world. Knuckles let out a sigh. It was hopeless for him to try any longer.

"Well… since we're here, I might as well show you the island. Follow me." Tikal nodded and smiled, taking his hand. Knuckles looked down at his hand, then back up at her with an awkward expression. He led her out of the forest and into a mountainous region, where a hot spring sat between four mountains. Tikal was breathless at the sight.

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" Knuckles looked at her, as if to say something; but kept his mouth shut.

"Come on, this way." He led Tikal into a cave. "This is where TR, Elder Echidna, and myself hid one of the Chaos Emeralds." Tikal looked around, almost ignoring him. Then she suddenly turned around, took his hand, and pulled him deeper into the cave at a running speed. "Hey, wait!" Tikal didn't listen. Soon they were on the other side, looking over the forest. Tikal looked at Knuckles, but quickly looked back. Both of them had something brewing in their minds, but refused to say anything. TR came into view as he jumped on top of the trees, calling out for them. They hid from his view. After a few minutes, he was gone. "We should get going, it's really late out. I bet even Tails and Tiffany are on their way home." He smiled at his own joke. Tikal looked sad, and nodded. "We can come back again sometime." Tikal ran to the edge of the wall. "What are you doing?" Tikal didn't answer; she was focused on whatever it was she was doing.

"There!" Knuckles walked over to her. On the wall was one word. "I declare this mountain, T and K!" Knuckles stepped back and was a little embarrassed.

"We, we have to go."

Elsewhere

"Ha, yah, hi-yah!" A small explosion could be heard.

"Jesus, what'd ya have to do that for?" Another voice defended.

"I'm training." The other one shook its head.

"I just don't wanna come crashing down because of you." There was no reply.

Tikal's Love

Tails had just woken up to find Tikal sitting on him. Tails jumped out of bed; startled, awaking Tiffany in the process. "HOLY CRAP, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Tikal smiled.

"I made breakfast." Tiffany had just gotten up when she realized what was going on, at that instant she pulled the covers over her, blushing.

"WOAH, HEY!" Tails looked over at Tiffany, then to Tikal.

"Could you give us some privacy, please?" Tikal; still smiling as if nothing was wrong, nodded and left. Tiffany was breathing hard, embarrassed. "It's ok, just calm down." Tails said this in a kind of humorous way. Tiffany; however, saw no humor in it.

"That's easy for you to say, you're not naked!" Tails let out a small laugh and smiled. Tiffany narrowed her eyes, and spoke in a non-serious demanding tone. "Go get breakfast." This made Tails laugh even more. Tails got dressed and went into the kitchen. There on the table was a nice plate of bacon… woohoo, and eggs. Tiffany soon followed, still shaken up. Tikal bowed and left for the outside world, leaving Tails and Tiffany alone at last. Tiffany stared out the window at Tikal, as she planted some flowers. "I bet she thought nothing of what she saw, I bet she'd call it 'nature.'" Tails laughed at this.

"She's an Echidna, and damn smart one too, of course she'd call it nature, that's why I said calm down, it ain't no biggy for her." Tiffany was still staring at her.

"Yeah… doesn't she seem lonely to you though?" Tails tilted his head.

"No, she seems perfectly happy, she's always happy." Tails stopped and thought about what he just said. "Yeah, I guess she does seem kinda lonely, why else would she be so friendly with everyone?" Tiffany saw Knuckles come into view. Tikal gave Knuckles another flower. And yet again, confused dear old Knux. Tiffany then gasped. Tails looked up. "What?" Tiffany smiled.

"I think someone has a certain something for someone." Tails looked completely perplexed, and in a joking voice said,

"Good god women, don't talk to me with your techno mumbo jumbo!" Tiffany laughed, as Tails always made her do.

"No, I mean, I think Tikal _likes_ Knuckles." Tails' eyes widened.

"What? You serious? Wow, never thought Knuckles would be the kind of guy." Tiffany shook her head.

"No, I don't think Knuckles feels the same way about her." Tails continued eating.

"You never can tell what Knux is thinking, sure he may talk every now and then, but he's like rock, not to many facial expressions are downloaded into his systems." Tiffany finished her food.

"Yeah, that's true." She stepped outside and joined Tikal and Knuckles. Tails got up and watched TV… good ole TV.

The Meeting

Artail was standing outside Tails and Tiffany's house, knocking. Finally, Tiffany answered. "Hi Artail, what ya need?" Artail; as usual, couldn't stand still, and was moving back and forth.

"Is Tails here?" Tiffany shook her head.

"No, he's out meeting someone, I have no clue when he'll return." Artail jumped on top of their house yelling back.

"Ok, bye, bye." He was gone just as fast as he came. Tiffany closed the door and began to wonder if the person Tails is supposed to meet will show or not. Meanwhile, Tails was waiting on Island 1. He looked nervously side to side. He heard something. When he turned around, he saw the outline of a figure, the very same figure that he saw the other night.

"Hello." Tails squinted, trying to see the person. She then came into view. "I'm glad we can finally meet, my name is Jewel, Jewel Cent." Tails stepped back, lost for words. "Well? Are you going to tell me your name?" Tails shook himself back into reality.

"Uh, my name is Miles Prower, but my friends call me Tails." Jewel smiled.

"That's a nice name." She looked around, seeing if anyone else was around. "Can you please tell me where the ultimate life form is?" Tails tilted his head.

"Umm… if you mean Shadow, we uh… we don't know where he is." Jewel's smile faded.

"You don't know where your own friend is? That's funny." Tails didn't reply. "Well, if you see him, tell him I'm looking for him. I'll be in touch, bye." Tails stepped forward.

"Wait!" It was too late, she was gone. Tails stood wondering for a few minutes before heading home. It had been a while since he last thought of Sonic and Shadow. He knew they were alive, but he didn't have a clue as to where they would be. All he could do was wait. He returned home with almost no speed, he was now thinking heavily as he walked. From time to time he heard voices of late nighters, but nothing could tear him away from his thoughts. When he walked through his doorway, Tiffany was up watching TV. She turned to him.

"So, did you meet them?" Tails nodded.

"Yeah, her name is Jewel Cent." Tiffany asked more.

"Well, what did she want?" Tails shrugged as he sat down in a chair on the other end of the room.

"Not much, she asked for the ultimate life form, I told her we don't know where Shadow is." Tiffany was consumed by deep thought.

"Any clues as to who she is?" Tails shook his head.

"No, she came and went pretty quickly." Tiffany then asked a question that threw Tails way off guard.

"Was she pretty?" Tails looked at Tiffany in disbelief.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Tiffany nodded.

"Of course I am, is she pretty?" Tails was silent for a few seconds.

"Well… I guess… yeah… why?" Tiffany shrugged.

"I dunno, I just wanna know if I'm gonna have any competition." Tails smiled and focused his attention on the TV. The words "Jerry, Jerry!" could be heard in the background.


	3. Chapter 3

Artail's Adventure

Artail woke up and jumped out of bed. He raced around his house a few times, thinking of where to go, when suddenly the idea of mountain climbing came to him. He raced around a few more times and jumped off a ledged, landing in an open space in the forest. He then began to run towards a set of four mountains. He was jumping on almost everything… then he tripped. "Holy crap, I tripped!" Artail was not used to this. When he turned to see what he tripped over, he saw a small Usaku, hiding behind a rock. "Hey there, wanna come with me to the mountains?" The Usaku stepped out cautiously, as Artail fed him a leaf. It then gratefully smiled and nodded. Artail picked him up, and began on his way once more. When he reached the foot of the mountains, he decided to jump up the side, as opposed to walking along the path previously cleared out by Tikal and Knuckles. The Usaku let out a small chime like yell as they flew through the air at every jump. It didn't take long for Artail to notice a cave on the side of one of the mountains. He decided he'd take a rest inside. So he did. The Usaku walked around the cave curiously, and then out of site. Artail soon heard it yell, so Artail went to see what was going on. The Usaku was jumping and pointing at an engraving on the wall. Artail got closer to see it. It was two hearts connected together, with the letters T and K in them. Artail tilted his head. Then decided he had been standing still for too long, and he picked up the Usaku and ran off. Silly little Artail.

Knuckles' Suspicion I

Knuckles was on his way to Island 0. "There's got to be more to this. How did Tikal manage to stay alive, and how did she end up on Island 0? More importantly, where is that energy coming from?" There was no doubt in his mind that something was giving off an energy from that of an emerald on Island 0. No sooner had he reached the island, he felt the energy. He jumped up and climbed to the top of the island. "Now, where was that temple? God, I wish I was paying more attention to where Tikal was leading me." After hours of searching, he found the temple. On the outside, it looked small, but upon stepping in, it looked like a city bigger than the great Echidna City that had once sat on Emerald Island. Knuckles was speechless at its size. It would take months to search everywhere in here, and that was without sleeping and eating. Knuckles decided to go to the center of the temple, to see which direction the energy was coming from. But when he got there, the energy seemed to have been coming from all directions. This both angered and frustrated Knuckles. Never has a treasure hunters skills been put to such a test. It was; however, at this point when it became clear to him, that there was an emerald here; an emerald that had never been before found, and from the looks of things, it didn't seem like anyone had even been in the temple for well over several centuries.

Foreseeing

Tikal was on Emerald Island with the Master Emerald. She was staring deep within it, her hands outstretched towards it. She had her head down slightly, her eyes closed. She was completely focused, her connection with chaos was returning. She could see everything; Dark Hedgehog, Joel, everything that had once happened, could be witnessed. She could see Chaos leaving the emerald, and then being defeated, by Sonic. She stopped at that image. Who was Sonic? She stood straight up and looked around. It was peaceful and quiet. For the first time in a long time, she realized what she was capable of. She realized how she could bend the will of chaos itself. She began to remember everything. Yet no matter how much she remembered, she remembered double of Knuckles. The emerald suddenly began to shake violently, as if calling for her. She felt something, the emerald felt something. Something deep within Emerald Island; inside it. She turned to the Master Emerald, and began to concentrate. Tikal looked up as a strange force pushed her several feet from the emerald. What she saw, she couldn't believe. She immediately left for Island 3.

Knuckles' Suspicion II

Knuckles had been in the temple for almost two days when he finally found the emerald. But one look at it told Knuckles to leave it alone. He was within three feet of it when he felt how evil it was. The fourth Elemental Emerald that was to be used to create the Super Master Emerald, was evil. How could such an evil thing be used to create such good? Knuckles stared at it for several minutes. He had never heard of such an emerald. Above it read the following words, in a more modern Echidna language, 'Elemental Emerald of Chaos.' Knuckles took several steps back, and sealed the entry. The emerald should never be found. It's power was greater than the Master Emerald. That just wasn't right. Knuckles was walking slowly, still thinking about what he saw. He decided not to tell anyone about it, not even TR or Tikal. He jumped off the island, running towards Island 3.

The Future of Death

Knuckles returned to find Tikal extremely worried. TR was with her. "What's going on?" TR shook his head.

"Tikal saw something in the Master Emerald." Tikal stood up and explained.

"Knuckles... Dark Hedgehog is going to rise again." Knuckles stepped back.

"What? No, no, no, no, this isn't right. He should be done for. This isn't good." Tikal shook her head.

"It gets worse. Black hedgehogs are with him." This confused TR and Knuckles. TR stood up.

"You didn't tell me that." Knuckles looked down.

"Black hedgehogs? How many?" Tikal answered quickly.

"Well over a thousand." TR and Knuckles jumped back.

"WHAT!" Knuckles shook his head.

"I only know two black hedgehogs, Dark Hedgehog... and Shadow." TR was thinking as well.

"So then how are there a thousand!" Tikal questioned Knuckles.

"Shadow? Who is that?" Knuckles was surprised at this question.

"You didn't see him in the Master Emerald?" Tikal shook her head.

"Strange... the Master Emerald can't see him." TR stepped between them.

"We have to keep this a secret, don't go worrying everyone else." Everyone nodded. Yet the image of a thousand black hedgehogs stayed in Knuckles mind. As far as he was concerned, Earth was doomed.

Elsewhere

"I think we should go now, we've been gone for awhile now." There was no reply. "Look, I've been watching these security cameras, something is going to happen. We need to help." After a while's silence, another voice was heard.

"The time is nearing, be patient, I have my reasons."

Axel the Hedgehog

Tails and Artail were racing when out of nowhere, a grey hedgehog stepped in front of Tails. They ran into him and bounced back. "What?" Tails noticed the hedgehog. "Axel! Where the hell have you been?" Axel stood, smiling.

"I've been with someone, helping her find some things, and to give you this." Axel gave Tails a letter by Jewel.

"Jewel?" Axel nodded. Artail came in and jumped on Axel's back.

"Hey! It's Axy!" Axel laughed as Artail jumped off.

"Hi Artail, I'm gonna be chillin with you guys for awhile. As you just read, Jewel will be along soon." Artail jumped up and down and went to tell everyone else. Tails crumbled the paper up and tossed it behind him.

"Why is she looking for Shadow?" Axel shrugged.

"No clue, she said something about having memories of being told to find him. I guess she just wants to figure things out." Tails put his hands in his pockets.

"Well Shadow hasn't said anything about her, or much of anyone else for that matter." Axel nodded.

"I don't know why then, but Jewel seems to know quite a bit about Shadow, of course she don't know why either." Axel and Tails walked back to Tails and Tiffany's house.

Another Match

The first thing Axel noticed when he reached the house was Katrina. Katrina stood up and... well, you can probably guess. "Axel! You're here!" She ran up and hugged him; almost knocking him over. She then kissed him and they made out. Everyone rolled their eyes. Tiffany came outside.

"What the hell are you doing?" Axel and Katrina turned. Katrina narrowed her eyes.

"I'm doing what I feel like doing." Everyone knew what was coming. Tiffany shook her head.

"Can you at least TRY to not act like such a slut?" Everyone looked at Katrina for a reply.

"I haven't seen Axel in like a year, I think I deserve this much!" Now everyone looked at Tiffany.

"Yeah, and when you go inside you're gonna think you deserve more." I think you know what everyone decided to look at now. Katrina stepped forward.

"Why don't you go touch yourself!" Tiffany laughed.

"Because the thought of you and Axel would be in my head, just don't go come in my house with those intentions of yours." Tiffany turned around and went inside to watch good ole TV. Katrina was now pissed at the fact that she once again lost an argument.

Jewel Cent

Tails was watching TV with Tiffany when they heard a knock at the door. Tiffany got up and answered. "Yes?" It was Jewel.

"Hi, can I speak with Tails?" Tiffany raised one eyebrow.

"And just why the hell should I let you do that?" Tails came up behind Tiffany.

"It's ok Tiffany, this is Jewel Cent." Tiffany's eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry, come in." Jewel nodded and walked in.

"So, I take it Shadow is missing?" Tiffany nodded.

"Yeah, he's been gone for almost a year, so has Sonic." Jewel looked around.

"Who is Sonic?" Tails answered.

"Sonic is Earth's greatest hero, he just up and vanished, around the same time Shadow did." Jewel hesitated on her next question.

"You think it'd be alright if I hang with you guys for while?" Tiffany said no, and at the same time, Tails said yes. Tiffany sighed.

"I guess you can stay for a little bit." Jewel jumped up.

"Cool."

The Wrong Idea

Tails was watching TV when Jewel came in and sat next to him. "So, watchya watchin?" Tails shrugged.

"Nuthin really." Jewel looked at the remote.

"Can I have the remote then?" Tails scooted over.

"No! My remote! My remote!" Jewel scooted over next to him.

"Come on, you said you weren't watchin anything." Jewel began to reach over for the remote. Tails objected this by swinging his arm upwards. Jewel then dove for the remote with her other hand, and lost her balance. Tails soon fell with the weight of Jewel on him. She took both hands and grabbed the remote. While the two struggled for the remote, Tiffany walked in from her walk.

"What the hell?" They both froze. Tails had a horrified look on his face. Jewel instantly stood up and left the room. Tiffany then walked next to him. "Does every girl have to end up sitting on you?" Tails would have laughed at this had he not felt like he was in trouble. Then Tiffany narrowed her eyes and smiled as she jumped on him. "So she wants competition huh?" _This sequence has been removed by Stile Jay Ream on the_ _grounds that it will piss you off._


	4. Chapter 4

Axy!

Axel was inside Katrina's house when Artail knocked on the door. It took several minutes for him to answer. "Hey Artail, what's up?" Artail jumped up and down several times.

"Wanna play? I got a new toy! It's a Slymasore!" Axel knelt down on his knees.

"Wow really? Well let's play then!" Axel of course, had no idea what the thing was, but being a good father-figure, he decided to spend time with him. Artail picked up the action figure and thrusted it toward Axel and said "boom!" Axel fell backwards. "Oh, you got me!" Artail laughed.

"Silly little Axy! You're much too strong for Slymasore, you don't die! Ha ha ha!" Axel smiled at his childish joke, when all of sudden, Artail jumped up.

"BADABOOM!" Artail was then gone. Axel sat there confused.

"So... I lose? Well that sucks." He stood up and decided to go for a walk.

Some Not-so-Random Questions

Jewel was now walking in the forest, thinking out loud. "Shadow... the ultimate life form. Who are you? And why are you in my dreams? I will find you... but then what?" She was now looking up at the sky. She lost her balance when she heard a voice behind her.

"You must be Jewel." It was Knuckles. Jewel turned around.

"You, you're an Echidna." Knuckles nodded.

"Surprised? My names Knuckles, protector of the Master Emerald." Jewel lowered her head.

"The Master Emerald?" Knuckles laughed.

"Yeah, why?" Jewel had a confused look on her face.

"The Master Emerald was mentioned in my dream." Knuckles didn't say anything, he just left after another small laugh. Jewel decided it was time to head back anyway.

When she arrived at Tails' house, Tiffany was now watching TV. Jewel instantly froze again when she saw her. Tiffany stood up and walked towards her. "Don't be afraid... I'm not." Tiffany smiled and left the room, leaving Jewel very confused. She walked in Tails' bedroom to find it empty. On the dresser she saw a picture of Shadow.

"So... this is Shadow, the ultimate life form..." Tails suddenly waked in.

"Ummm, any particular reason you're in my bedroom?" This startled Jewel.

"Huh? Oh, no, not really." Another question suddenly popped in her head. "Hey, what did Tiffany mean when she said she wasn't afraid?" Tails shrugged.

"I dunno, she thinks of you as competition." Jewel raised one eyebrow.

"Competition? For what?" Tails laughed.

"She thinks uhh... she thinks you're hitting on me." Jewel laughed.

"What? I'm just having fun." Tails shrugged again.

"I know, but Tiffany can get jealous." Jewel walked over to the door.

"Well be sure to tell her that she has nothing to worry about." Tails nodded.

The Dream

"It is complete! Finally, a counterpart... now, where did I put that thing?"

light flashes

"Ahh, you're awake, tell me, how are you feeling? I'm sure you'll feel right at home here."

light flashes

"I want you to meet someone, he's not awake yet, but I'm sure you'll love him. Let me introduce, the ultimate life form!"

light flashes

"What are you doing? Get away from her! She wasn't created for you!"

light flashes

The sound of glass breaking can be heard, as well as emergency procedures sealing off the exposed area. "NO! Look what you did! After all that work! Wasted!"

light flashes

Extreme heat can be felt, and soon, a hard landing on the ground.

light flashes

"You poor little thing, let me... safer there... promise."

light flashes

"Jewel! Jewel! Are you ok?" Jewel awoke on the couch. "It's two in the morning, are you ok?" Jewel was still a little dizzy. Tails and Tiffany were standing next to her.

"Yeah... I'm fine, just a dream, I'm ok, really." Tiffany and Tails were not satisfied. Tails sat down in a chair.

"What was the dream about?" Jewel looked up, barely hearing the question.

"I don't know... but I know it was about me. Me and... the ultimate life form." Tiffany soon sat down as well, realizing this would take some time.

"Shadow never said anything about you, Tails, did he say anything to you?" Tails shook his head. Jewel shook her head as well.

"In my dream, the ultimate life form; Shadow, wasn't awake. We were in some sort of lab." Tails instantly knew where the dream took place.

"That's the ARK." Jewel looked confused.

"The what?" Tails explained.

"Shadow was created to be the ultimate life form on a space colony called ARK. But how and why you were there puzzles me. Was there anything else?" Jewel nodded.

"Yeah, there was the sound of glass breaking, then some alarms went off while someone kept shouting." Tails and Tiffany's questions stopped here, as Tikal raced in, Knuckles and TR followed. Tiffany stood up.

"What's going on?"

First Signs

TR spoke first. "Something's happened to the Mainland." Tikal continued.

"Angel City's been destroyed!" Tails now stood up.

"By who?" Knuckles entered the conversation.

"We don't know, but it wasn't by any human, or a machine." Jewel finally regained full consciousness and walked outside saying,

"I wanna see." When she looked down, it was gone. There wasn't even a crater; it was as if a city never stood there before. Tails squinted, trying to make out small details.

"How could something do _that_? There's no fire, no smoke, nothing!" Knuckles was now speaking, still looking where Angel City once stood.

"The emeralds were used to do this." Axel, Artail, and Katrina arrived. Axel scratched the back of his head.

"What's everyone staring at?" He looked down where they were looking and couldn't figure it out. "There's nothing there, what's got you all so freaked?" Katrina hit him.

"Even I know that Angel City used to sit there, it's gone!" Axel jumped back, running into Artail.

"What?" Artail jumped on Axel's head to get a better look. Axel almost fell, but regained balance.

"No bonus?" Axel looked up at Artail.

"Nope, no bonus, game over." Artail looked down.

"Aww, that's no fun." Artail didn't seem like he got just how bad this was, but no one took the time to explain in full detail. Axel shook his head and left. Knuckles turned.

"You're leaving already?" Axel looked perplexed.

"Well... yeah, what else am I supposed to do?" Knuckles shrugged. One by one everyone went back inside and went to bed. The End... no, not really, I can't back that up.

Sonic VII

TR was sitting with Knuckles, reading an old CD box; which said, "New Sonic VII, Buy Now!" TR looked at it laughing.

"I beat this damn thing ages ago." Knuckles looked at him funny.

"You bought the thing yesterday!" TR threw the box down so hard, it crumbled up.

"Knuckles, you gotta get yourself a life." Knuckles uppercutted him.

"You gotta get yourself an easy button!" Knuckles said this with a smile on his face, happy at the fact that TR; rather than himself, was confused. TR became confused.

"!" Suddenly, Artail zipped up behind TR, making him jump into the air. "WHAT THE FUCK?" Artail laughed.

"BONUS POINTS!" Knuckles laughed at TR as he gave Artail some imaginary bonus points. TR landed on Knuckles' hand.

"Artail… what do you want?" Artail showed him a picture that made TR quit. Knuckles looked… dare I say, confused.

"What?" Artail showed him the picture.

"Knuckles, what is this?" Knuckles' eyes widened as he grabbed the picture away from him.

"Where the hell did you find something such as this!" Artail jumped up in excitement.

"On the computer." TR stood up, dirt on his face.

"Whose computer?" Artail stared blankly, not knowing why it mattered.

"Tails'." TR took the picture and looked at it once more. He then quit again. Knuckles took the picture and threw it away.

"Artail, I don't want to see you anywhere near Tails' computer." Artail tilted his head.

"Why?" Knuckles paused.

"Because… this stuff is not for people with the name of Artail, and if people with name Artail go messing around with these things, then that person will lose all of their bonus points." Artail started flipping out.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" Artail disappeared with a loud pop. TR decided to un-quit and rejoined Knuckles.

"What was Artail doing with a picture like that?" Knuckles shook his head.

"More importantly, why does Tails have that kind of stuff on his computer!"

Tails' Computer

Artail was jumping up down on his way to Tails and Tiffany's house. When he arrived, he knocked on the door. Tiffany answered.

"Oh, hi Artail, what's up?" Artail was jumping around as usual.

"Can I use your computer?" Tiffany nodded.

"Sure." Artail hopped in and went for Tails' computer, wanting answers for the mysterious things he saw. Artail just figured he had so many bonus points; he could spend them to not get in trouble. When he got on the computer, he started searching for the file that he had previously been in. He soon found it with no trouble at all, and began searching through it. Various pictures and movies came up that greatly confused him. He saw many words as well, such as machine, tentacle, fantasy, stars, and personal. Artail went through every one, and not one made sense. Until he opened the personal folder. After performing this action, it became clear… or as clear as it was gonna get. He saw pictures, and not just any pictures of Tiffany and Katrina and other people he had never heard of. Two of those people were Sally and Amy. Suddenly, Tiffany walked in. "What in blazes is going on here!" Artail whipped around faster then you could say bonus.

"Tiff, can you tell me what all this stuff is?" Tiffany had just noticed what was on the screen.

"What the hell?" On the screen was a video of Tiffany. Her face went red. "Artail, please leave." Artail was confused, yet somehow he felt like he had lost all his bonus points.

"What's…"

"Now!" Artail jumped back and left faster than he had ever left before. Tiffany stood there in a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and confusion. "TAILS!" Artail was now spying through the window, actually being still. Tails walked in confused.

"What's wrong?" He had just noticed his computer when he was suddenly forced back into the next room. Apparently, Tiffany had hit him… go figure. Tiffany followed him.

"WTF IS THIS SHIT?" She was pointing to his computer. Artail whispered mockingly to himself,

"Uh-oh, looks like Tails is getting game over, more bonus points for me!" Tails' eyes were now widened to da maX.

"I uh…" Tails was interrupted by another kick, forcing him into the last room.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tails was finding it hard to speak.

"Why are you taking this so seriously?" This was obviously the wrong thing to say. I tell you this because Tails soon got game over. Tiffany walked into in the computer room and explored all aspects of it. This only enraged her. She re-entered the room that Tails' body laid.

"So I'm not good enough for you?" Tails sighed as he could easily predict the future. Tiffany picked up Tails' computer and shoved it on his head. Artail laughed… a lot. Tails stood up and tried to walk… but failed miserably. Tiffany couldn't get any more pissed. "If you wanna look at me or whoever else you have on there, you better make damn sure I'm with you from now on!" This through Tails way off, in fact, you might say he fell off the planet.

"Whadya mean?" Tiffany took the computer off his head, smiling. _Stile Jay Ream has struck again for obvious reasons_ Artail walked away slowly wide eyed, instantly understanding everything he had witnessed on the computer.


	5. Chapter 5

Tikal's Secret

Knuckles was sitting with Tikal by the Master Emerald. "Tikal... you think anything of Axel?" Tikal spoke care freely as she always did.

"No, why?" Knuckles shrugged.

"He left kind of sudden like earlier. You know, about Angel Island. He didn't seem all that surprised either." Tikal looked at him.

"Axel seems alright to me, you worry too much." This statement threw Knuckles off track.

"Whadya mean! You saw what was going to happen first hand in the Master Emerald!" Tikal sat down in the grass.

"Well yeah, I thought it was big deal at the time too, but... lately I haven't been thinking of it much." Tikal stood up and took Knuckles' hand, pulling him up with her.

"What?" Tikal didn't say anything; she started running, forcing Knuckles to run with her again. "Where the hell are we going?" Tikal still didn't say anything. Soon they came out into a wide open plain, not the Emerald Plains, but much more beautiful. "Tikal, stop this nonsense!" Tikal stopped and turned, smiling, then continued towards a small hut. Knuckles sighed as it was clear she wasn't going to explain. When they entered, Knuckles was wide eyed. The hut was filled with old Echidna relics; many belonged to Knuckles and herself. "Tikal… where did you get all this stuff!" Tikal walked over and sat down.

"I found them using the Master Emerald! Do you like them? It was awfully hard work to keep secret." Knuckles examined each artifact with immense concentration.

"Yeah…" Knuckles cleared his throat. "Yes, but, where exactly were these things?" Tikal hopped out of her chair.

"Most underground, others hidden, why?" Knuckles picked up a stuffed teddy bear. "Was that yours? The Master Emerald said so but…" Knuckles threw it down embarrassingly at this question.

"Umm, no, no, I have no idea who's this is." It was a known fact in Knuckles' mind that it was Tikal long ago, who bought this for him. He continued looking, trying to change the subject. "Tikal, I have something to tell you, now don't go telling everyone else just yet, but I think I know what Dark Hedgehog is after. I think you should take a look at it." Tikal tilted her head.

"Yes, what is it?"

The Elemental Emerald of Chaos

Now Knuckles took her hand and forced her to run with him. They soon came to the edge of the island, where they jumped off, and continued towards Island 0. Tikal said nothing the whole way there; which surprised Knuckles, something that was happening much too often these days. When they reached the island, they jumped up and continued toward the temple. "We're almost there." Night was beginning to fall as they entered. Knuckles began leading her down a winding path that led to a small room, with which an emerald stood. "Tikal, this is the Elemental Emerald of Chaos." Tikal walked up to it slowly, but didn't want to move any closer.

"Knuckles, why'd you bring me here?" Fear was in her voice. "I don't want to stay, let's leave, now." Knuckles held her shoulders as she turned to leave.

"You must be strong, what can you see in that emerald? We have to know." Tikal almost as if she were about to cry, but nonetheless turned around and did as she was asked. It was long before something could be seen, and not by just Tikal, but by anyone who might be standing there. For an image was clearly projected onto the wall.

"Ha ha ha ha, I have found you at last!" Tikal instantly spoke.

"That's the hedgehog I saw!" Knuckles looked. It was clear that Dark Hedgehog would return… to find the Elemental Emerald of Chaos. Tikal and Knuckles continued watching.

"With all 4 Elemental Emeralds, I will destroy this planet! And… with the help of all of you, I will kill Shadow and his friends!" Knuckles looked confused. Surely Dark Hedgehog would if Shadow was already dead or not. Soon a thousand hedgehogs that looked like Shadow appeared. Knuckles almost fell flat on his face at this sight.

"How can this… be?" The army of Shadows were standing motionless, and as expected, expressionless. But this did not last long; soon they turned left in unison, and marched out of the temple. A flash of red and black light blinded the view, then it was over. It was clear that this emerald should not be discovered by Dark Hedgehog, but with the knowledge of knowing it would happen, it was hard not to be discouraged. Knuckles got a call on his cell phone.

"Knuckles, get back on Island 3, hurry!" The phone hung up. Knuckles put the phone away and urged Tikal to follow him, though she was tired from the previous event.

A Traitor

When Knuckles and Tikal arrived, they found Katrina crying. "No, why would he do such a thing! I won't believe it! I can't!" Tiffany; for the first time in a long time, was trying to relieve her. Knuckles stepped up.

"What's wrong?" Tails replied.

"We… have a traitor." Jewel came out form inside.

"He went to Emerald Island!" Knuckles interrupted.

"Who!" Artail walked slowly over to him.

"It's… it's…" Artail was crying, making it hard to speak. "It's Axy, Knuckles, it always was, he double crossed us!" Knuckles clenched his fist and stepped forward.

"What'd that son of a bitch do now!" TR broke his door coming outside, enraged to the highest degree.

"HE STOLE THE EMERALDS, THAT'S WHAT!" TR walked over to Knuckles. As they hit each other's fists, they ran off toward Emerald Island, leaving everyone else behind. Tails walked went over to Tiffany.

"We can't let them fight on their own!" Tiffany stood up.

"You're right, let's go."

Elsewhere

"Hmph, it's almost time." Someone stepped up.

"Whadya mean, 'almost'?" The other one turned.

"I'm not rushing in there until I see what I'm dealing with."

"Then it might be too late!"

"Hmph, it's almost time."

"What ever."

The End of a New Beginning

When Knuckles and TR arrived, they saw Axel, standing by the Master Emerald. "Axel, hand over the Chaos Emeralds!" Axel turned laughing.

"Be patient, you can have them when I'm done, I won't be long." He laughed again. Knuckles instantly charged after him. As Axel prepared for the attack, he was thrown off balance by TR, who had appeared behind him; this made Knuckles attack successful. Axel flew over the Master Emerald, and was bombarded by punches from TR and Knuckles. "I didn't want to have to do this… AHH!" Axel used the emeralds to become Super Axel. He then threw his arms up, throwing Knuckles and TR away. Tails and Tiffany soon entered the fray. Tiffany jumped up and spun five times, kicking Axel each turn. He flew into Tails who threw him up, and slammed back down on the ground, adding yet another crater to the planet. Axel; however, had little damage. Katrina and Jewel arrived just in time to see Axel pummel Tails into TR, rendering them unable to fight. Katrina ran up to Axel.

"Why are you doing this?" Axel turned, becoming greatly annoyed with all these delays.

"Get off me!" He threw his arm back and hit her, knocking her out. Tiffany ran towards him again, but this time he caught her leg and spun her into a cliffside. Knuckles wasn't about to charge full on, he had more sense than that. Jewel, rather than being angry, was more confused.

"Axel, why did you help me get here if you're just going to destroy everything?" Axel stopped messing with the Master Emerald.

"Destroy everything? Me? HA! I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I don't want to destroy everything, it wouldn't be fun anymore. However, I'm getting my dues for this little job, and bringing you here was part of it." Knuckles didn't show it, but he wanted answers; he for one, was tired of being confused. Jewel wasn't satisfied with the response.

"What do I have to do with this?" Axel turned once again, enjoying the ability to shove the great plan in everyone's face.

"Ha ha ha, you have everything to do with this! You'll soon find out." Axel began messing with the Master Emerald again. Soon he exited his Super form and placed the Chaos emeralds above the Master Emerald. As they floated above the Master Emerald, they started spinning. Axel backed up, holding his arms up saying something. A white light soon emitted from the emeralds. Then a flash blinded everyone, when everything became visible once again, someone was standing on top of the Master Emerald, tossing an emerald in his hand.

"Axel, they can have the Chaos Emeralds now." Axel smiled as he collected them, then threw them at Knuckles, who was speechless at what was standing on the emerald, it was Dark Hedgehog. Jewel was concentrating hard as she looked at him, then remembered something. She quietly whispered,

"The unnamed experiment…" Knuckles looked at her, as did Dark Hedgehog.

"Yes… yes I do recall being called that by a certain little girl once long ago." He paused and smiled. "Welcome Angel, or should I call you, sister?" Jewel looked confused. Was he talking to her? Knuckles looked back at Dark Hedgehog.

"I don't know what's going on, but it ain't gonna work!" The rest of their gang was listening to this conversation, each having something to say, but not the ability. Dark Hedgehog laughed as he jumped down, putting the emerald he was tossing in his pocket.

"You can't stop anything, you're just a poor Echidna, all alone in this world. I should have hunted you down the moment you had escaped." Knuckles lowered his head and clenched his fist, obviously angry at this comment. But before Knuckles could do anything, Jewel ran forward and put her hands together as if she were praying. She began mumbling something as her hands glowed yellow. Soon she threw her arms out in front of here, and a huge blast emitted from her hands, blowing Dark Hedgehog and Axel almost clear off the island. Knuckles stood there speechless, unaware of her power. But she didn't stop there. She jumped up and hovered in the air, gathering the Chaos Emeralds around her. Out of what seemed like nowhere, and without warning, a gigantic wave of light exploded from her body.

Elsewhere

"What the hell is that!" The Earth was instantly lit up like a giant christmas tree, which lasted for nearly thirty seconds. A calm voice replied.

"It's our cue, let's move." A small smile on the speakers face.

The End of a New Beginning

When the light vanished, Jewel was on the floor, almost completely out of breath. Knuckles was on the floor in amazement. Dark Hedgehog stood, his eye twitching. He looked at... well, what would have been Axel's body, then back at Jewel. "Sis, you're not using your full potential. Aw, yes, you need Shadow to be able to do that, don't you? Heh heh, did you know, by an unexpected turn of events, I am able to commend the same effect? Your power will not be used as intended by the doctor, but by my will." He laughed again. Jewel stood up while Knuckles blinked at an excessive rate. TR and the rest were finally able to stand. Dark Hedgehog looked around. "What, are you all going to stop me? Without Sonic? Without... Shadow? Ha! You guys are so blinded by your cause, you forget to use common sense! You see, I have something that will strike you as surprising, and with that surprise... I WILL OBLITERATE YOU ALL!" Dark Hedgehog jumped up and transformed into an unnamed state. Knuckles and TR could clearly see what caused it. Somehow, Dark Hedgehog had gotten a hold of the three well known Elemental Emeralds. Tikal suddenly appeared, Artail was holding on to her arm. Knuckles looked behind him.

"What the?" Tikal explained.

"I used the Master Emerald's energy to teleport, what's..." TR interrupted.

"You shouldn't be here!" Tikal was confused.

"Why? What's..." She stopped mid-sentence, as she saw Dark Hedgehog. "No!" She fell on her knees in hopelessness. Artail looked up, shaking.

"That's a... a big bonus..." Dark Hedgehog laughed.

"Let's start the show!" He stuck his hand out toward Tiffany. "Chaos Drive!" A sharp needle-like emerald was fired from his hand, and went right through Tiffany's chest. To Tails, all this seemed to happen in slow motion.

"Tiffany!" He rushed over to help her, but there was little he could do here, as her injury was beyond his skill. Dark Hedgehog laughed again. This time he stuck both hands out toward Katrina and Artail.

"Chaos Beam!" A multi colored beam was fired, badly burning Katrina and Artail. Tails was holding up Tiffany's head.

"Tiff..." Tails was breathing hard, making it almost impossible to speak. She put her finger on Tails' mouth, signaling him to be quiet. Meanwhile, Dark Hedgehog picked another target, Tikal.

"Your turn!" He said this while his eyes looked like fire. "Chaos of Time!" Tikal froze, unable to move. The exact same move that denied Chaos' existence, was now becoming Tikal's demise.

"No!" Knuckles had pushed her out of the way, and now began suffering the same fate. Dark Hedgehog smiled at his futile attempt. He quickly frowned at the amount of time it was taking.

"Maybe I should do something faster?" He said this while still holding the attack, his arm shaking. He stiffened his arm, trying to hold it longer. Knuckles began to move, facing Dark Hedgehog.

"It's going to take more than that, to murder an Echidna." Knuckles clamped his arms together in front of him, the attack losing its effect fast. Dark Hedgehog frowned in anger.

"I see, I suppose when there's only so few left, extreme measures are a necessity. Fine, have it your way." He released his attack and threw his arms upward. "Chaos Blast!" In what seemed like no time at all, everyone was immobilized. Dark Hedgehog hovered in the air, satisfied. He slowly came down to the ground and walked toward Jewel. "Angel, it's been so long. We have so much to catch up on." Jewel helplessly raised her hand to attack as he picked her up with one arm and flew high in the sky. He faced Emerald Island, laughing. "I want you to see this first hand." He stuck his free hand out toward the island, small balls of energy forming in front of it. Knuckles barely stood up and limped towards Tikal, who wasn't moving at all. Artail was sitting up against the cliffside, breathing heavily. Katrina was lying on the ground, unable to move, but still clearly alive. Tails was still barely moving.

"Tiffany... are you… still there?" Tiffany was only barely moving, she had lost more than enough blood. She put her hand on Tails' head; messing his hair up, smiling.

"I… love you, Tails..." None of them were unable to make their way off the island. As they lay helplessly, everyone could hear Dark Hedgehog shout in laughter.

"ELEMENTAL BOMB!" A giant ball; the size of Emerald Island itself, was released from his hand, making its way toward the island.

**Part 1; A New Beginning**

**The End**

6


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